Israel als Schurkenstaat 174

Confusion over Gaza aid flotilla

Page last updated at 8:59 GMT, Sunday, 30 May 2010 9:59 UK

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10193249.stm

By Jon Donnison BBC News, Gaza City The flotilla's departure has already been delayed by three days

Hundreds of human rights activists aboard a flotilla of ships trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza say they hope to arrive later on Sunday.

But Israel's navy remains adamant that this will not be allowed to happen.

There is also confusion about whether the ships are actually moving.

The Palestinian territory has been under an Israeli and Egyptian economic blockade for almost three years, with only limited humanitarian aid allowed in.

The blockade was imposed after the Islamist movement Hamas - which over the past decade has fired thousands of rockets into Israel - took power in Gaza.

Disorganised picture

For days human rights activists aboard the flotilla of ships have been saying they are due in Gaza soon. They are already three days late.

Their press officers say they are on route and will arrive later on Sunday.

But live video being streamed from the ships shows they are not moving and are moored somewhere off the coast of Cyprus.

Hamas officials in Gaza say they are not expected to arrive on Sunday. So it is a confused and disorganised picture.

If and when they do get moving, Israel says the ships will not be allowed to reach Gaza.

Its navy still controls Gaza's territorial waters and says it is prepared to use limited force to stop the flotilla.

It says the ships will be towed to the nearby Israeli city of Ashdod from where those on board will be deported.

There is much political spin being put on the story by both sides.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya says any Israeli action to stop the ships will be an act of "piracy".

Israeli government press officers have been briefing journalists that the aid flotilla is not necessary. Israel says it allows 15,000 tons of aid into Gaza every week.

But the United Nations, which calls the blockade a "medieval siege", says this is only a fraction of what is needed and less than a quarter of what was coming into Gaza before the blockade was enforced.